La Leche League Leaders

La Leche League Leaders
La Leche League Leaders

Sunday, March 31, 2013

April 2013 Gatherings


La Leche League of Charleston, SC
April events and fun!


Wednesday, April 3 - Sibling Park Day
10 am - 11:30 am 
Isle of Palms Recreation Center Playground
28th Avenue, Isle of Palms
Feel free to bring a friend or even your partner


Friday, April 5 - Mt Pleasant OLD VILLAGE
10:15 am - 11:30 am 
St Andrew's 440 Whilden St
No RSVP or fee required
Marlea 901.210.7541 or Scotty 864.415.3678


Tuesday, April 16 - Mt Pleasant North 
Mount Pleasant Hospital, 3500 North Highway 17 
Come any time between 9:30 am & 11 am.  
We will take any questions or just stop by to say hi!   
Leaders will be in Room 3 from 9:30 to 11:30 am.  
No RSVP or fee required
Monica 843.810.8552 or Beth 843.469.4404


Friday, April 19 - West Ashley
10:15 am to 11:30 am
John Wesley United Methodist Church
626 Savannah Highway 17
No RSVP or fee required
Hillary 843.847.1482 or  Marlo 843.278.1688





We're looking forward to seeing you and your baby at a Group meeting! If you want to learn more about La Leche League, visit our collection of resources about LLL

Friday, March 29, 2013

Get to know your local leader - Hillary



How many children do you have?
Nathan (4 years), Ainsley (22 months), and due in September with #3…Oh, yeah. My husband Andrew and he is 27. LOL

How long have you been involved with LLL and what brought you to your first meeting?
I have been a leader since the Spring of 2012 but have been involved since I can remember. My mom was an LLL leader and so was one of my sisters. I can remember going to meetings as a teenager to ‘help with toddlers,’ and really I was just soaking it all up. I have always wanted to be a mommy and I am loving this season of my life. When I got pregnant with Nathan, I was living in Germany with my husband Andrew. As soon as I got back to Charleston, I began going to LLL meetings. I was less than 30 weeks pregnant but ready to build my support community.

What is your favorite philosophy concept and why?
One of my favorite parts of the LLL Philosophy is: ‘For the healthy, full-term baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth.’ As a first time mommy, I was under the impression from friends, pediatricians, etc. that you were supposed to start feeding your baby solids once he/she hit 6 months. I should’ve listened to my mom (but who does that all of the time, right?). So the day my son was 6 months we began with bananas. We ended up stopping with solids a week or two later because he just wasn’t into it in the least. He happily began on his own at almost 11 months old. It seems so backwards that I would watch his cues to nurse but didn’t watch for his readiness cues for eating solids. Sometimes, I think we can get so wrapped up in the next ‘milestone’ that we don’t stop to enjoy where our little one is.  

What is one thing you have a great deal of experience or familiarity with?
I have dealt with oversupply and dairy intolerances with both of my babies. With my first I didn’t quite realize he had a dairy intolerance until he started eating solids. I thought that everything he was experiencing as a baby was due to my oversupply which eventually worked itself out except for some symptoms (i.e. small amounts of blood in his stool) which still came and went. With my daughter, I had a lot more information under my belt and was able to remedy these issues more quickly. I also have dealt with tongue-tie and lip-tie. My son has tongue-tie but it didn’t affect his ability to nurse. We didn’t notice his tongue-tie until MUCH later and in hindsight realize that my long period of nipple pain during the beginning was probably due to this. My daughter has lip-tie and it has never interfered with nursing.

What is your favorite meeting topic?
My favorite topic is ‘Adjusting to Life with a New Baby.’ This one is always fun! Whether you are pregnant, a new mom, or a mom of older kids you can definitely enjoy this meeting topic. For the pregnant moms, they hear how other moms handle tasks like bathing, cleaning, keep their relationship with their significant other strong, etc. Things they may have never even thought would need to be modified. For new moms, they are in it and it is very fresh on their minds. They may hear or add a new way of doing something. For seasoned moms, it is always nice to remember when your older ones were so tiny and also how doing things changes as infant becomes toddler, etc.  

Favorite thing about being an LLL Leader?
Helping empower new moms! It is great to be able to give a mom the information she needs to successfully achieve her breastfeeding goals. Whether that is providing information to help her work through a breastfeeding issue or reassuring and encouraging her in her decisions as a breastfeeding mother.

Favorite music, book, food, color?
I am pretty much all over the board as far as music goes. As for books, I am more in to research based and ‘self-help/encourgement’ type books. I like to read for information rather than for ‘pleasure’ (yes, I am a bit of a nerd : D). I absolutely love Mexican food and my favorite color is pink.

Past Jobs
Before I started a family, I was a dance teacher. I have a B.A. in Dance Performance/Choreography. I taught pretty much every age and every style except Hip Hop (I’m a total bunhead) and ballroom. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

La Leche League is here for Charleston, SC


La Leche League of Charleston, SC has three FREE support groups in the county.  The gatherings are open to any pregnant or adoptive moms, new or seasoned mothers and even grandmothers, sisters or female friends.  Children are always welcome to any LLL event. We also plan a few family events that include partners during the year and have playgroups in the warmer weather.  

The Leaders of the groups are all highly trained volunteers who take time to hold meetings, supply a free lending library, share support in a private facebook group, take emails and helping calls and some even do home-visits in the county for new moms.  

Ya'll come by a meeting soon and say hi soon!  



Pictured here from left to right: Carissa, Naomi, Marlo, Brittan, Hillary, Beth, Monica, Kimberly and Scotty.  Not pictured but also in Charleston County for your support are Elizabeth, Mandy & Marlea.

Friday, March 1, 2013

March Madness Fundraiser 2013



LLLadies, we need your help & support.  We are in need of funds to support our mission.  With your membership our local group can receive a portion of the funds to be able to purchase new pamphlets, books and other resources for your Group and for local families who are asking for information. 

If you have found LLL of Charleston helpful to you in anyway...via emails, phone helping, facebook or meetings we appreciate your support. Your donation will go towards buying new handouts that we share in meetings, buying new books for our library and copies of new posters and flyers for our community.

This is an optional Membership payment or donation which is tax deductible and that will benefit our local Charleston, SC Group! Our meetings remain free for any mother...member or not.

The best way is to join through a local Group, so that funds will be available in YOUR vicinity to help mothers and babies in the Low Country.  

To join your local Group, sign up with a Leader at your next meeting or simply check out our PayPal account in the sidebar on this blog.

$40 Regular Membership
$100 Sustaining Membership
$250 Platinum Membership

Or any amount you can share... 

All Membership levels includes a 10% discount in the LLLI Online Store and are tax deductible.

New members purchasing a regular, sustaining, or premier membership will receive access to an electronic publication as a bonus. 

Thanks so much for your support!
The Leaders of La Leche League of Charleston, SC

Beth, Brittan, Carissa, Elizabeth, Hillary, Kimberly, Mandy, Marlea, Marlo, Monica, & Naomi

Our Mission is to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.

http://www.lllusa.org/SC/